1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a mechanism for disabling vehicle occupant restraint systems and, more particularly, to a selector switch circuit for disabling a passenger side airbag.
2. Discussion
Occupant restraint systems, and in particular inflatable airbags, have come into widespread use in the automotive industry. In certain instances it may be desirable to provide a switching mechanism for disabling operation of the airbag system on a selective basis while the vehicle is in use. For instance, an occupant restraint system with a passenger side airbag should be disabled when a rear facing infant seat is placed in the passenger position. Due to the importance of these safety systems, it is also important that the reliability of its components be monitored and tested during vehicle operation. Detecting a faulty condition in the switching mechanism that may lead to undesired deployment of the passenger airbag, as well as determining the position of a selector switch at airbag deployment are two such system conditions that should be monitored. In addition, under current Federal safety standards (i.e., MVSS-208) it is required that occupant restraint system provide an indicator of the airbag's disabled state which is visible to both driver and passenger.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide the driver the ability to select an activation or deactivation state for the passenger airbag. A selector switch and its associated circuitry are designed to accommodate both single point and distributed production airbag systems. Versatility in the selector switch assembly of the present invention is achieved through the use of a common printed circuit board which may accommodate different designs of the switch circuitry "stuffed" as well as be packaged into multiple locations in numerous types of vehicles. These advantages of the present invention minimize the number of components and reduce costs associated with implementing the switch assembly. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a visible indicator of the airbag's disabled state which may easily be integrated with the switch assembly or remotely located from the switch assembly. Additionally, selector switch circuitry is provided that allows for monitoring of faulty switch conditions, as well as notifies the driver of any faulty conditions.